Most of these boats specialize in fishing water depths from 75 to 120 feet. These vessels have heated cabins, bunks for taking a snooze to and from the grounds, and heated handrails to ward off numb fingers. They've also got galleys that will serve up a tasty bacon, egg and coffee breakfast to a hot chowder or hamburger for lunch.

Codfish caught by recreational anglers range to upward of 50 pounds. However, the majority of the populations landed by anglers the past several years have been in the 5- to 20-pound class, with a size limit of 21 inches prevailing. The size of the fish, coupled with the wide range of waters in which they're found, from inshore reefs to deepwater wrecks located in waters 200 feet and even deeper, require that you have tackle adequate to the task at hand.

Most veteran codfish anglers favor rods made of either fiberglass or graphite that measure between 7 and 8 feet long, and are rated for 30- to 40-pound-test line. These rods have a rather stiff action, for at times prevailing conditions may require that you use 16 ounces of sinker weight to hold bottom, or 24-ounce jigs to probe the depths while keeping your line perpendicular to the bottom. A favorite rod that I've employed includes a substantial foregrip, a stripper guide, six ring guides and a roller tiptop.

For a rod of this type, you're best served by using one of the newer models' high-speed reels having a 4.9 to 1 or 6.2 to 1 gear ratio. Many of these reels, such as the Daiwa Saltist and Shimano Torium, are capable of retrieving 46 to 48 inches of line with a single turn of the reel handle, which helps out a great deal when working a jig in the depths, or hauling a stubborn codfish up from the bottom.

During the past couple of seasons, I've noted the use of electric reels powered by portable batteries in use on some of the party boats. While I've used electric reels for grouper and snapper in tropical waters, it's only recently that they've been brought into play throughout the Northeast. These reels are a viable option if you tire of retrieving several hundred feet of line, especially around deepwater wrecks located far from shore.

In recent years, I've switched from monofilament to braided line, as I find that in deepwater fishing the fine diameter and no-stretch quality of the braid proves superior. Both Sufix and Ande make an excellent braided line in a high-visibility yellow color. I've opted for 50-pound-test as being ideal, as its diameter is that of 12-pound-test monofilament. Importantly, the heavier test enables me to pull free of bottom snags with ease, without breaking off terminal rigging.

You'll need a supply of high-low rigs in your tackle box, along with a selection of chromed jigs. Most times, natural bait fished on the bottom will prove most effective, but on occasions, especially when cod are feeding on herring or sand eels, the jigs will catch you more fish.

Most coastal tackle shops stock a standard high-low rig that enables you to fish a pair of hooks, one directly on the bottom and another 18 to 24 inches off the bottom. I prefer rigs with minimal hardware, foregoing a sinker snap for a simple surgeon's loop for attaching the sinker. Such a rig is less apt to become snagged.

Select hooks in claw or beak styles with baitholder shanks, in sizes from 5/0 through 7/0 snelled to 15 to 18 inches of 40-pound-test monofilament or fluorocarbon leader material.